Truck mounted fertilizer applicator using fluid conveying

ABSTRACT

A truck mounted particulate material applicator which entrains metered amounts of the particles in a fluid for conveying the material outwardly along tubes forming boom assemblies. The metering assembly and the booms are mounted in the mid portion of the truck wheel base for minimizing bouncing, and excess shock loads on the booms during travel, and also for providing a centrally located distribution point for the metering assembly. The present device includes a unique manifold for entraining particulate materials such as inorganic fertilizer or grains in fluid flow streams within tubes in which they form the boom assemblies. Each tube carries the metered air entrained material a different distance from the center to cover a wide path. Separate tubes are directed toward the rear of the truck to spread the material in the path of the truck.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of my copending application Ser. No.840,585, filed Mar. 17, 1986, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention.

The present invention relates to a spreader for a fluid distributionsystem for particulate material.

2. Description of the Prior Art.

In the prior art, the distribution of inorganic fertilizers has beenaccomplished in many different vehicles including truck mountedspreaders that utilize air for entraining the material and distributingit through wide booms. Self-propelled units generally have long,laterally extending booms at the rear of the truck, and can use varioustypes of air entraining manifolds for distributing the materials. Therear mounted booms are susceptible to load and bounce problems whenmoving over rough ground.

The "Valmar" airflow applicator is a spreader that mounts in a pickupbody and entrains material in a stream of air and sends the material outthrough tubes that extend laterally from a pickup body. The unit is madeso that when mounted in a pickup box the boom assembly is close to thecab of the pickup. The Valmar airflow device individually metersmaterials into a type of receptacle and then entrains the material to besent into each of the conduits in a flow of air. The device is made byValmar Industries in Canada.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an applicator or spreader forparticulate or granular materials utilizing a fluid entrainingdistribution system for entraining metered particulate material, such asparticulate or dry fertilizer or grain, and distributing it out througha boom system onto the ground.

The unit includes a tank mounted on a prime mover, such as a truckhaving high floatation tires, and includes a metering hopper assemblyand air manifold system mounted right behind the cab of the truck. Thelaterally extending booms are also mounted in this mid portion so thatthe effects of rough ground and "bouncing" is less pronounced than witha rear mounted and the boom is visible to an operator.

The positive metering or proportioning of the granular material occursbefore it enters the air stream, and an efficient manifold and mixingchamber allows for low power requirements for causing the meteredmaterials to be entrained in fluid and carried into individual boomtubes and then distributed out at different distances from a centerline. The boom is a floating boom, and is lightweight, while havingsubstantial strength because of a bridge type bracing construction ofthe boom.

The metering mechanism is separate for each boom assembly (one on eachside of the truck) and comprises a belt that runs generally horizontallyand forms the bottom of a metering hopper. The fertilizer or othermaterial is deposited on the belt and then carried past a plurality ofvertical, spaced plates which have sharp edges to divide the material onthe belt into individual portions extending along the length of thebelt. The sharpened edges of the divider plates insure that there is anadequate and quick division of the material on the belt. A metering gateis used for controlling the height of material carried on the beltbefore the material reaches the divider plates. The gate meters theamount of material that goes into the individual divided portions.Separate tubes collect the respective individual metered portions as thematerial is dropped off the belt. The separate tubes guide the materialinto metering chambers where air streams from the manifold are presentto entrain the particles in the air streams. The region where theparticles are entrained reduce in area to increase the velocity of theair around the tubes or nozzles which supply the metered material to theair streams.

The particulate material is transported from a storage tank to thehopper for the metering assembly by an auger. A float shut-off devicecontrols the level of material in the hopper to insure that there is anadequate supply of particular material, but not an excessive supply.

The spreader is made so that material can be selectively discharged outone boom or the other, or both booms at the same time.

When mounted immediately behind the cab as done herein, the boom endsare visible to the driver, and easily seen, so that skips in the patternor overlaps of spreading are minimized. Suitable markers can be used formaking a visible mark at the ends of the booms for determining theproper position.

Further, because of the division or metering of the material in arelatively small hopper, using the conveyor belts, the material is notsubstantially segregated by density or weight as occurs in someapplicators.

The components are driven through hydraulic motors that are operatedthrough a known variable piston pump, which is crank shaft mounted ontothe truck so that there is hydraulic power at all times for thedistribution system.

The spreader can be used for grain, grain and fertilizer combined,granular herbicide, fertilizer, or granular fertilizer impregnated withliquid herbicides.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a part perspective side view of a spreader having a fluidbased distribution system made according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the device in FIG. 1 showing thebooms in a working position;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3--3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a metering hopper andmetering distribution assembly made according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of one side of the device shown in FIG. 4,and showing the air distribution manifold used with the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken as on line 6--6 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken as on line 7--7 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a view taken as on line 8--8 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary, part schematic representation of ashut-off float and valve assembly used with the device of the presentinvention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic side view of a typical tank illustrating theconveying of particulate material into the metering hopper of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of a break away portion of theboom assembly of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A truck indicated generally at 10 is of the type having a frame 11, andlarge floatation type wheels and tires 12 that are mounted on the frontand rear axles. The truck can be rearwheel drive or fourwheel drive ifdesired, and includes an operator cab 15, and a particulate materialdistribution system indicated generally at 16. The distribution systemincludes a storage tank 17 that mounts onto the frame 11 of the truck,overlying the rear wheels, and this storage tank can have covers 18provided in the normal manner.

A metering and air distribution system indicated generally at 20 ispositioned ahead of the storage container 17, immediately to the rear ofthe cab 15 and thus is approximately mid-ship or in the range of halfwaybetween the front and rear wheels 12.

The air distribution system includes a material metering hopper 22, andboom support frame assemblies indicated generally at 23 are mounted onopposite sides of the metering hopper and adequately braced back to thestructural components of the distribution system 16. The boom supportframes each mount hinged boom assemblies 25, that are pivoted aboutupright axes and are foldable from a position shown in FIG. 1 where thebooms extend rearwardly back along the sides of the truck and container17, to position where the boom assemblies 25 extend laterally out fromthe truck 10 to cover a substantial width for travel down the field.

The boom assemblies 25 are unique integrated structures that comprise aplurality of individual laterally extending tubes (or conduits) 26 thatare vertically spaced and of different lengths horizontally.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lower most tube shown at 26A issubstantially shorter than the upper tube 26H. The intermediate tubesare of graduated length. The upper most pair of tubes 26H and 26G haveouter sections forming a pivoting assembly 30 that will fold forwardlyalong the main portion of boom assemblies 25 when the boom assembliesare folded. The folding action of portion 30 is shown in FIG. 11, andnot in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The outer end of each of the tubes 26 has a deflector shown generally at31 thereon which is used for directing material in a desired manner. Thedeflectors are spaced approximately 36 inches apart horizontally.

The boom arrangement and deflectors give a substantially uniformdistribution of granular material across the ground over which the truck10 is traveling, and as shown in FIG. 1 only schematically, separatedistribution tubes 34 are provided from the air distribution manifold,which will be described, along each side of the truck. These tubes 34extend rearwardly to cover the area of the ground behind the truck afterthe truck has passed over the area.

The boom assemblies 25 on each side of the truck are provided with aplurality of upright support webs 35A, 35B, 35C, 35D, 35E, and 35F. Thewebs 35A-35F are plates or channels which have openings through whichthe individual tubes 26 pass, and the tubes are tack welded into thevertical webs 35A-35F where they pass through the webs.

A horizontal brace channel member 38 has legs 38A (see FIG. 3) that arewelded to the webs 35A, 35B and 35Cc as well as to a base verticalmember 40, which is hinged in place as will be explained. The channel 38provides a reinforcing member on each of the boom assemblies 25.Additionally, diagonal braces are structurally attached to permit theboom assembly to flex but yet give great vertical strength andstability. Diagonal members 41 on each of the boom assemblies are weldedto the base vertical member 40, and also the opposite ends of themembers 40 are welded to one of the legs 38A of channel 38, as shown inboth FIGS. 2 and 3. A lower diagonal member 42 is welded at a first endto the lower leg 38A of the channel 38 and its opposite end to the lowerend of the vertical web member 35B. Note that at the end of brace 42that is adjacent to the channel 38, the brace 42 can also be welded tothe vertical web member 35A. A diagonal brace 43 is welded to the upperend of vertical web member 35B, and to the web member 35C in the centerportions and then the lower end of brace 43 is welded to the lower endof vertical web member 35D. Additional diagonal braces indicated at 44and 45 are welded at their opposite ends to the respective vertical webmembers 35D and 35E for brace 45, and to the upper end of vertical webmember 35E and to the lower end of vertical web member 35F insofar asthe brace member 46 is concerned.

The outer end folding section 30 is supported onto the main portion ofeach boom assembly 25 and does not have any diagonal braces. Thediagonal braces are long enough to span a plurality of tubes 26, butthey are welded only at spaced ends and not to all of the tubes 26 whichthey span.

Referring briefly to FIG. 10, the material container or compartment 17is shown in cross section, and has an interior storage chamber 48, andas can be seen schematically, an auger assembly 50 is mounted in thechamber 48, in a convenient location. An auger tube 51 extends from thebottom of container 48 upwardly to the interior of metering hopper 22.An interior helical auger 52 is mounted in tube 51, the auger is drivenwith a suitable hydraulic motor 53 through a valve 54 from a pump 55.The pump 55 is driven from an engine 56 of the truck which is shownschematically. The pump is driven from a live power source such as thecrank shaft of the engine 56 so that there is hydraulic pressureavailable whenever the engine of the truck is running. Of course, asuitable hydraulic reservoir would be provided but is not included inthis schematic representation in FIG. 10. Upon rotation of the auger 52,granular or particulate material indicated at 55A inside the container48 will be conveyed upwardly and forwardly, into the metering hopper 22,which as shown has an interior storage compartment 60.

The motor 53 is controlled in turn by a level detector on the interiorof the hopper compartment 60. Reference is made to FIG. 4 where theinterior compartment 60 is shown enclosed with a suitable cover 61 oneach side of the hopper, and as shown the covers slope from the centeroutwardly toward the outer ends. The level of the material inside thehopper compartment 60 is determined by a float or light ball member 62which is shown in FIGS. 4 and 9. FIG. 9 schematically shows thearrangement with a light ball (such as a toilet tank float) mounted ontoa pivoting arm 63, that is pivotally mounted as at 64 to a bracketassembly 65 that is fixed to a rear wall 66 of the hopper.

The bracket 65 also mounts, on its upper side, a suitable switch 70 thathas an outwardly extending arm 71. The arm 71 operates the switch 70 toturn it on and off upon vertical movement of the float ball as shown inFIG. 9. The arm 71 is connected to arm 63 with an adjustable length link72. The float 62 will move up as material piles up from the end of theauger tube 51 as shown in FIG. 4. This will cause movement of the arm 71for the switch 70, and when the float 62 moves a sufficient distance,the switch 70 will be operated to control solenoid valve 54 to turn offmotor 53.

When the power is turned on, for example when the key to the truck isturned on, and hydraulic power is available and the float 62 drops undergravity as material in chamber 60 reduces in level, the arm 71 will movedownwardly again turning on the solenoid valve 54 through the action ofswitch 70. This will then maintain a pile of material near the centerportions of the hopper compartment generally as shown at 75 in FIG. 4.

Tapered guide walls 78 are formed around the auger tube in the center ofthe compartment 60, and the walls 78 taper outwardly toward the lateralsides of the hopper 22.

The bottom of the hopper 22 is formed in part by live conveyor beltassemblies indicated generally at 80 and 81, respectively, the innerends of which fit under the walls 78 near the center of the hoppercompartment. The tapered walls 78 extend fore and aft between the frontwall 84 and rear wall 66 of the hopper 22. The edges of the conveyorbelts 80 fit closely to the front and rear walls of the hopper 22 aswell and guides can be provided to overlap the edges of the belts toprevent materials from dropping past the belt edges. As can be seen inFIG. 8, the rear wall 66 of the hopper has a lowered tapered end 82 thatextends over the edge of the belts 80 and 81, respectively, and thefront wall 84 of the hopper 22 has a tapered section 84A which againoverlaps over the edge of the conveyor belts 80 and 81, respectively.The left and right hand sides of the hopper as shown in FIG. 4 areidentically constructed, so only one is shown herein. The conveyor belts80 and 81 form feed devices for feeding materials such as grain orfertilizer into dividers and through a metering gate and ultimately intothe distribution tubes 26 forming part of the boom assemblies 25.

Because the parts on the right and left sides of the hopper are mirrorimages, the same numbers will be used, except for the conveyor belts anddrives because they can be individually operated.

The hopper has cross walls 85 spaced from the center of the hopper, andalso spaced from the ends of the hopper, that extend between the frontand rear walls 84 and 66, respectively, and which fit above the taperedwall edge portions 82 and 84A. The cross walls 85 have lower edges shownat 87 in FIG. 4, spaced above the conveyor belts 80 and 81. The walls 85extend completely across the hopper and are attached to the walls 66 and84.

Additionally, metering gates support guides 90 and 91, respectively (seeFIG. 8), are mounted onto the front and rear walls 66 and 84 at each endof the hopper, respectively. The support guides 90 and 91 at each end ofthe metering hopper mount bearings 92 in which a cross shaft 93 isrotatably mounted. Each cross shaft 93 in turn has a pair of piniongears 95,95 thereon which are on opposite sides of the hopper, on eachend, and these pinion gears 95 mate with rack gears 96 that are attachedto a respective metering gate 97 on each end of the hopper. The meteringgates 97 are positioned above conveyor belts 80 and 81, respectively.Each metering gate 97 is guided suitably on the support guides 90 and91, through the use of conventional tracks or guide slots as shown indotted lines, and also each metering gate 97 is held adjacent thevertical portions of the respective wall 85 as shown in FIG. 4, so thatthe gates 97 can be raised and lowered to control the size (verticalheight) of the opening above the belts that extend from the front to therear of the hopper. The height of the lower edges 97A of the meteringgates thus controls the amount of material that is carried on the upperlengths of the conveyor belts 80 and 81 when the belts are powered andmoving toward the respective ends of the hopper.

The height of each of the gates 97 is controlled by a manually operatedhandle 103 drivably mounted on each shaft 93 at one end of therespective shaft. The handles 103 are each retained in a desired angularposition by using a spring pin carried on the handle that will fit intoone of a plurality of openings 104 in the adjacent wall of the hopper orin a separate adjustment plate fixed to the hopper wall. When the handleretainer pin is released (pulled from its latch hole) the handle 103 ismoved to rotate shaft 93 and thus the pair of gears 95 on the shaft willdrive the racks 96 and metering gates 97 either up or down, as desired.

As can be seen in FIG. 4 schematically, the belt 81 is powered with amotor 110, that is operated through a separate valve 111. The belt 81 isdriven with a separate motor 112 that is operated with a valve 113. Thevalves 111 and 113 can be manually operated, or can be solonoid valvesif desired. The valves 111 and 113 can be individually controlled or ifdesired can be latched together so that they will be operatedsimultaneously. The motors 110 and 112 regulate the rate of feed ofmaterial that passes under the gates. By individually operating themotors 110 and 112, the boom assemblies can be individually used whendesired. The motors 110 and 112 may be operated at a variable speed bycontrolling the valve, or by having separate variable speed valves.

When the belts 80 and 81 are individually powered, the upper lengths ofthe belts will move in the directions as indicated by the arrows 115 and116, respectively, and thus will move the granular material, such asfertilizer or grain, from the pile shown at 75 laterally outwardly tothe opposite ends of the metering hopper 22. After passing under themetering gate assemblies, which trim off the top of the material to auniform (metered) level, the belts run underneath a plurality ofinverted L-shaped plate dividers shown at 120. As also shown in FIG. 4these dividers 120 are planar type walls that have sharpened leadingedges 121. These end edges are sharpened to knife points as indicated,to aid in separating the material carried by the respective belts 80 and81 into the desired number of individual portions. The width between theplates 120 is fixed, so the variations of the quantity on the belt isthe height of the material on the belt. As shown in FIG. 8 when thegates 97 are raised this can be a substantial depth of material thatwill pass below the lower edge 97A. The metering gates 97 can be loweredto a dotted line indication for the lower edge 97A as indicated in FIG.8, so that the material in each of the individual metered portions willbe reduced for a lower rate of feed, for the same speed of the conveyorbelts 80 and 81. The feed rate in relation to forward travel of thespreader can be changed by regulating either gate height or motor speed,or both.

There is a horizontal space between the gates 97 and the edges 121 ofthe divider walls that is approximately equal to the width between thedivider walls. This space provides an area for the particles to shiftand move slightly and aids the separation by the divider walls 120 asopposed to having the edges 121 very close to the gates.

The metered particulate material then falls off the ends of therespective belts 80 and 81 as indicated by the arrow 124 in FIG. 4, andthe lower divider legs 120A of the divider plate 120 extend into cups atthe lower ends of the plates between granular feeding funnels shown inFIG. 8 at 125. Each of the funnels 125 leads to a separate flexible tube126A-126H that is connected in a suitable manner to the respectivefunnel 125. The flexible tubes 126A-126H are connected to correspondingair-material mixing housings or chambers 128 at their lower ends. Eachof the mixing housings 128 has a nozzle 127. All nozzles 127 areidentical, but each mixing housing has a different length horizontaltube forming a particle entraining chamber. The horizontal mixing tubesare shown as 130A-130H and correspond in location to the tubes 26A-26Hof the boom assemblies. As shown these horizontal tubes 130A-130H haveouter ends that are mounted into vertical webs or plates 135, that areadjacent the end vertical member 40 for each of the boom assemblies, onopposite sides of the machine, respectively. As shown in FIG. 5, theouter end portions of the respective tubes 130A-130H are tapered (neckeddown in diameter) so that when the boom assemblies are moved to theirworking position extending laterally outwardly, the outer ends of thetubes 130A-130H fit inside of the respective tubes 26A-26H at thevertical web or plate member 40, as shown in FIG. 6.

The web members 40 have pivot pins 139 at the top and bottom thereofwhich are pivotally mounted in suitable frame support member 140,140 atthe top and bottom so that the boom assembly can be pivoted to positionas shown in FIG. 2 and then the vertical members are as shown in FIG. 6with the web 40 tight against the vertical web 135, and with the taperedouter end portions of the mixing tubes 130A-130H fitting inside theinnermost ends of the boom tubes 26A-26H.

Additionally, two horizontal mixing tubes 130I and 130J are provided forconnection to rearwardly extending distribution tube 34 and to a shorterdistribution tube 145 shown in FIG. 1, respectively. The tube 34distributes granular material to the rear of the truck and the shortertube 145 distributes granular material immediately ahead of the rearwheels of the truck. The horizontal tubes 130A-130J each coupleddirectly to a plenum chamber or manifold 150A through a tapered venturisection 156. The plenum or manifold 150 is a tubular member as seen inFIG. 6, generally circular in cross section, and has large diameterconnector nipples 157 that couple to the venturi sections 156 of thehorizontal tubes 130A-130J, respectively.

Each plenum chamber or manifold is provided with fluid under pressurefrom a suitable blower 152, that is driven with a hydraulic motor 153controlled by a valve 154 and powered from the hydraulic pump. Theblowers or frames 152 on opposite sides can be individually orsimultaneously controlled, just as the motors for belts 80 and 81.

FIG. 7 illustrates a typical air-particulate material mixing chamber128. The mixing chamber shown includes horizontal tube 130H. Thehorizontal tube 130H, as can be seen, has the venturi section 156, thatfits into a nipple outlet 157 opening from the plenum chamber ormanifold 150. Each of the nozzles 127 extends into the respectivecorresponding horizontal tube 130A-130H, and each nozzle 127 has atapered cut shown at 160 forming a nozzle opening which faces away fromthe plenum chamber. The lower wall portions 161 adjacent the manifold150 have lower ends indicated at 162, which are below the edge of thenozzle 127 that is downstream from the manifold. The opening 164partially faces downward and partially faces toward the outlet of therespective horizontal tube. The openings for the nozzles 127 in tubes130 are sealed around the nozzles 127 at the junction between thenozzles 127 and tubes 130.

Thus, particulate material dropping through these nozzles 127 will moveas shown by arrow 169 and be subjected to a flow of air as shown by thearrow 170 in FIG. 7, and thus flow will entrain the particulate materialand cause it to move outwardly from the horizontal tubes into therespective boom tubes to be carried out to the outer ends of the boomtubes where the deflectors will direct the material in a desired mannerto spread it across the ground.

The venturi section 156 causes an increase in velocity of the air, anthis aids in entraining the particles adequately. Also the venturisection 156 helps to keep the required power for air flow generationlow. The nipples 157 are large diameter outlets which keep the requiredpressure head low. The reducing sections 156 of the tubes 130 cause anincrease in air velocity to raise the particle carrying capabilities ofthe air. The lower ends of the nozzles 127 extending into the tubes130A-130H also cause a venturi effect. The air flowing from nipples 157flows around the part cylindrical surface of wall portion 161 of eachnozzle. The air pressure is reduced at the openings 163 so particlestend to be urged in the flowing air stream to aid in feeding.

The metering assembly operates efficiently, and by regulating themetering gates the amount of material carried by each of the boom tubeswill be varied. The metering is carried out from a very small hoppersection in relation to the large storage compartment, so there is lesslikelihood of having unwanted segregation of the material, and there ispositive proportioning of the granular material such as fertilizerbefore it enters the air streams. The manifold is very efficient, havingonly the mixing tubes extending outwardly to the individual boom tubes.The manifold arrangement requires relatively low power and permits thedelivery of relatively high rates of material which means the forwardspeed of the truck can be kept high as well. The vertical orientation ofthe plenum chamber provides efficient positioning of the mixing chamber(saving space) and reduces the length of connection of the boom tubes.

The boom assembly structure, including the diagonal bracing, providesfor a very strong, light-weight boom.

In FIG. 11, an end section 30 of the booms 25, and its mounting to themain portion of the boom is shown. Each end section 30 comprises twoshort tube sections 175 and 176, which are aligned with the tubes 26Hand 26G, respectively. The tubes 175 and 176 are mounted in an assemblyof a first vertical base member 177, and an intermediate verticalsupport 178. The base member 177 mounts on a suitable hinge assembly 180to a vertical frame portion 181 that is connected to tubes 26H and 26Gas shown in FIG. 11.

The spring 184, and a suitable shock absorber 185 can be used forresisting pivoting of the outer section 30 rearwardly, but the endportion 30 can be manually moved rearwardly and locked back against themain portion of the associated boom as desired.

FIG. 11 shows typical deflectors that are used at the ends of therespective boom tubes, and these deflectors are shown at 175A and 176A,respectively. The deflectors are curved walls formed and oriented todeflect the material rearwardly as the material is discharged out theopen end of the respective tubes.

The boom assemblies 25 can be latched in place when folded rearwardlyfrom transport and also the outer ends can be supported or rested on afixed support, to prevent loads on the hinge assembly and support 140when the truck is moving over the road.

What is claimed is:
 1. An air distribution apparatus for particulatematerials discharged from a mobile boom assembly comprising a pluralityof boom tubes vertically spaced apart and having axes defining asubstantially common vertical plane and the boom tubes receivingparticulate material from an air distribution apparatus adapted tominimize space occupied in horizontal direction, comprising:a frame forsupporting the boom assembly and the air distribution apparatus;metering means for separating the particulate material into individualmetered portions; a plenum chamber mounted on said frame and having alongitudinal axis elongated in substantially vertical direction andbeing below the metering means; a source of fluid under pressure tosupply fluid to the plenum chamber; a plurality of outlet openings fromsaid plenum chamber, the outlet openings being spaced in verticaldirection along the longitudinal axis to form vertically spaced outletopenings, and the outlet openings being of a first diameter; a separatemixing chamber tube connected to each outlet opening, the mixing chambertubes each having a transition section open to the respective outletopening and tapering to a small diameter in direction away from theoutlet opening; a separate nozzle positioned to open to each mixingchamber tube and adapted to carry particulate material under gravityinto the mixing chamber tube, the nozzle being substantially at rightangles to the respective mixing chamber tube and having a wall portion,positioned in the mixing chamber tube to form a reduced pressure at anoutlet of the nozzle as fluid flows through the mixing chamber tube;means to mount the metering means vertically above the plenum chamberand the mixing chamber tubes; separate conduit means for receiving eachof the metered portions connected to each of the nozzles respectively,the conduit means carrying the metered portions under gravity to therespective nozzle; and means to couple the mixing chamber tubes tocorresponding ones of the vertically spaced tubes of the boom assembly.2. The apparatus of claim 1 and means to support the boom tubes inposition wherein the mixing chamber tubes have outer ends whichtelescopically fit within ends of the boom tubes with the boom assemblyin a first position.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 and means to pivotallymount the boom assembly relative to the plenum chamber for movement fromthe first position to a second position substantially 90° from the firstposition.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the metering meanscomprises a hopper, a conveyor belt forming the bottom of the hopper, aplurality of dividers to divide material on the belt into individualsections extending in direction of belt movement, and means to controlthe height of material on the belt to a metered height.
 5. The apparatusof claim 1 wherein the source of fluid under pressure comprises a blowerproviding a flow of air into the plenum chamber at the bottom thereof.6. The air distribution apparatus of claim 1, wherein the separatenozzles each comprise a tube passing through a wall of the respectivemixing chamber tube, the nozzle tubes having generally circular crosssections, and having axes for the nozzle tubes that extend generallyuprightly, said nozzle tubes having ends that are trimmed along planesthat are oriented at an angle with respect to the nozzle axis, the wallportion of the nozzle tubes having a first side part positioned adjacentthe inlet end of the mixing tubes and extending farther into the mixingtube than other parts of the wall portion of such nozzle tube fartherfrom the inlet of the mixing tube.
 7. The air distribution apparatus forparticulate materials as specified in claim 1 wherein said meteringmeans comprises a conveyor belt having a generally horizontal plane,said conveyor belt having a discharge end positioned above the plenumchamber, whereby the metered particulate materials fall freely throughsaid tube means from the end of the metering conveyor.
 8. The apparatusas specified in claim 7 wherein the plenum chamber forms a housing thatextends uprightly, and the source of fluid under pressure comprises ablower connected to the lower end of said housing, said mixing tubesbeing positioned vertically above said blower.
 9. The apparatus of claim1 and means to support the boom tubes in position wherein the mixingchamber tubes have outer ends which telescopically fit within ends ofthe boom tubes with the boom assembly in a first position.
 10. An airdistribution apparatus for particulate materials comprising:a frame;metering means for separating the particulate materials into individualmetered portions, said metering means comprising conveyor belt means forreceiving unmetered material and having discharge ends in alignment witheach other but on opposite sides of the frame, said metering meansdividing the material coming off each of the ends of the conveyor beltmeans into individual metered portions; a pair of plenum chambersmounted on opposite sides of the frame and comprising tubular housingsthat are elongated in upright direction and the upper ends of saidplenum chambers being positioned below the respective ends of theconveyor belt means; a plurality of separate mixing tubes mounteddirectly onto said plenum chambers, respectively, and positioned invertically spaced direction on the plenum chambers, said mixing tubeshaving axes extending generally laterally from the plenum chambers;means to provide fluid under pressure to each of the plenums to therebyprovide a flow through the mixing tubes; and a plurality of conduits,said metering means including means for coupling each of the individualmetered portions into one conduit, each of said conduits being connectedto a separate one of said mixing tubes, respectively, whereby thematerial being metered falls under gravity from the ends of the conveyorbelt to the respective separate mixing tube.
 11. The air distributionapparatus of claim 10 and a storage container mounted relative to saidconveyor belt means, auger means for conveying said material from saidstorage conveyor to said metering means, and for depositing material onthe conveyor belt means for conveying to the portions of the meteringmeans for dividing the material into individual portions.
 12. Theapparatus as specified in claim 11 and a boom assembly having aplurality of boom tubes corresponding in positioning to the plurality ofmixing tubes, and means to support the boom tubes on opposite sides ofthe frame in positions so that the boom tubes form a continuation of themixing tubes for distribution of the particulate material.